Cogling

by Jordan Elizabeth

  “The police always use males. The females are just breeders.” Ike scratched the dragon under his chin. “What do you think we should do with him?”

  “Not much, unless you want to kill it.” Charles shrugged.

  “Is it dangerous?” Edna’s voice wavered. “We shouldn’t execute it. It can’t help its species, and it might not attack. Right?”

  “He’s just a baby.” Ike tapped the dragon’s snout. “He doesn’t have many teeth yet, just sharp lips. He’ll realize we’re not his family and fly home.”

  “Won’t he get hurt?” Edna stepped toward the dragon, but screamed when he hopped off the bench and waddled toward her. She ran the length of the airship to huddle in the corner, clutching her prayer beads. The evil surged, but hesitated, as if it thought her stupid for being scared of a dragon.

  Ike scooped the creature into his arms. “The babies are harmless. It’s the adults you gotta watch out for.”

  “Aren’t the police gonna come after it?” Edna brushed her unbound hair off her face.

  Charles scanned the skies. “They would’ve by now. Probably figure the little guy will get home on his own. He’ll leave when we reach the bog. Dragons hate swamps.”

  Her heart beat faster. “Do you think they set this up? The gin house couldn’t be that esteemed, but, um, you think Augusta has that much sway over the cops?”

  “Those folks wouldn’t risk losing a baby dragon. He wanted a little adventure.”

  “Oh.”

  “We’ll name the dragon Silver,” Ike said.

  “How about Bark?” Charles laughed. “You can pretend he’s a dog. He’s the same size as one.”

  Ike quirked his brow. “Edna, you can feed Silver some bread and see how friendly he is.”

  She wiped her palms on her skirt. “How do you know so much about dragons?”

  He rolled Silver onto his back and tickled the dragon’s slender belly, then raised his eyebrows at Edna. “I’ve done a lot in my life, and now so have you. You’ve met a dragon.”

  “Here comes the bog,” Charles bellowed from the driver’s seat. Edna stood and brushed off her blue skirt, thankful for the wool dress Polly had given her. The wind didn’t bite through it like the gin house attire. She leaned against the back of Charles’s seat. Silver had taken bread from her, but seemed more interested in rolling with Ike, who laughed as they play-wrestled.

  Yellow mist rose from the trees, congealing around their ship. The forest thinned as it opened to brown patches. The mist hid most of the trees.

  Shapes formed in the fog—products of her imagination, conjured by that blasted evil, no doubt. Her little brother appeared, his hair matted around his skull, cheeks and eyes sunken. Blood splattered his knitted cardigan and beige slacks. A hag stood behind him, a tall and slender one dressed in a white gown, her hair as tangled as his. She held her hands over his head as though about to rip it off. Her mouth opened in an “oh” and her eyes flashed with that same evilness within Edna; evil reaching toward evil. A mansion blurred in their background.

  “How do you know where to land? You can’t see much.” Edna pointed at a clump of mist.

  “There’s a clearing near the factory.” Charles raised his voice. “Sorry, Ike, but your dragon’s gonna take off soon.”

  Ike sighed, standing. He patted Silver’s head and carried him to the side of the airship. “Bye, buddy. Fly home to your family.” He tossed the dragon.

  “Sorry you can’t keep him,” Edna offered. Even though Ike liked the critter, it might attract the police or tamper their mission.The dragon flew alongside the blimp, watching them through oval black eyes, and veered into a cloud.

  Then Silver screeched, his wings flapping as he tried to fly away. Mist clung to his face and he cried louder, diving at the airship. Edna’s gasp lodged in her throat.

  “Silver!” Ike held out his arm, but the dragon catapulted into the hot air balloon of the ship.

  Silver’s claws sunk into the fabric and air rushed out as the cloth tore. It could have been Edna’s spirit rending, for the sound pierced through her heart. “No.”

  “Hang on!” Charles pushed buttons and turned knobs on his dashboard, but the controls beeped, lights flashing. The basket dipped. Edna grabbed the railing. The balloon tore further and the ship rocketed toward the ground. It paused midair, and plummeted. The rushing wind tore away their screams.

  Charles shouted, the noise indistinct, and Edna sank to her knees from the force of the wind, squeezing her eyes shut. Splinters bit into her fists and her shoulder bumped the wall. Across the ship, Charles mouthed words she couldn’t hear. Ike threw himself against her back as if to shelter her.

  Wood shattered, cracking, and a branch slashed her shoulder, bumping her face. Her cheek tore, blood trickling over her skin. More branches broke around them, making the trees and airship moan in unison. Charles shouted again. Ike’s arms slipped away as he released her. She caught a glimpse of his black ponytail pulled back from his skull before he disappeared from view.

  Edna flailed for something to grab, but small branches slipped through her fingers. They ripped her hair and scratched her cheeks. A tree loomed in front of her; before she could cry out, she slammed into the trunk and breath whooshed from her lungs.

  The world faded into a swirl of dull colors.

  Have you come here just for me?

  omething wet wiped across Edna’s cheek. She lay still, her body aching. With her eyes shut, she lifted her hand to swat the moisture away, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder. Groaning, Edna dropped her hand, which splashed into mud and sank, sopping her glove. The smooth wetness brushed her face again. Blood? Her stomach clenched. She would have to inspect the hurt and find some way to bandage it.

  Edna blinked. Muted sunbeams drifted through the canopy above to splash against gnarled trees and twirl around vines. She turned her head and gasped.

  A tree had broken the airship in half; hunks of wood were scattered throughout the underbrush, the balloon hanging in shreds from branches.

  “No.” Edna rolled over to sit up on her knees.

  Silver cocked his head to the side. Edna swiped at the dragon, but pain stabbed through her side and the blow fell short. The dragon shrilled.

  “You broke the balloon. You made the airship crash.” Edna staggered upright, holding out her arms for balance when she teetered. Through the mist surrounding them, Silver’s black eyes glowed. “How are we supposed to get Harrison without the airship?”

  Her eyes tingled. She swiped at them, scowling. Crying would get her nowhere. She had to take stock of her surroundings and form a plan while the evil hung back. If it added to her panic, she might lose her grip on it. Edna flicked her thumb at Silver before stomping toward the ruined craft. Her foot sank into mud and she stumbled, grabbing a tree for support. Behind her, the hole she’d made filled in with a plop.

  Silver waddled into the backs of her legs. Edna scowled, hurrying toward the airship faster. Her heartbeat doubled as she struggled to dash on her aching limbs. The dragon yipped.

  When Silver tried to fly, the mist caught around his wings. He fell, mud splattering across his metallic scales. Poor thing. Charles had been right—the swamp did mess with the dragon’s senses.

  “Ike?” Edna called. “Charles?” She stepped over a board, cringing when wet wires sizzled. Another board crunched beneath her black boots. Through the mist, sparks burst from the control panel.

  “Get back!” Ike plowed through the rubble, a canvas sack beneath his arm. He tripped over a root and sprawled.

  The sack rolled before it sunk into the soil and Edna hurried to retrieve it, careful not to step anywhere for too long.

  “You hurt?” Ike stood against a tree, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth pursed.

  “A little battered.” Edna joined him, wondering if he’d pull back if she tried to hug him, to satisfy herself that he was whole. He picked up Silver to cradle the dragon in his arms.

  “The dragon made
us crash!” Even though Silver hadn’t broken the balloon on purpose, because of him it would take her longer to reach her brother.

  “Silver’s just a baby.” Ike glared at her, his soaked hair plastered to his forehead. The thong he’d tied his tresses back with had vanished, leaving them limp against his shoulders. Despite the rips in his clothes, he didn’t appear cut. “We got to keep moving.”

  “On foot? Odds bobs. We can’t traipse out of a swamp.” She clutched the sack tighter. A hole had formed in her glove; another rip on her heart, beside the missing hunk that belonged to Harrison.

  “You going back to find another blimp? It’s quicker if we head to the factory.”

  “What about Charles?” Edna turned toward the ruined airship, but Ike grabbed her arm.

  “He’s gone.”

  “What?” In the city, gone meant dead. Maybe in the countryside and swamp, it meant he was off walking. “Gone where?”

  Ike wiped his hand across his face. “He’s gone.”

  Ice and evil ran through her veins. Edna’s throat constricted as her mind conjured an image of Charles, eyes bugging, with a hunk of his beloved airship stabbed through his torso, blood soaking into the swamp. “He hadn’t wanted to help us, but he did. He’s dead now, all because of the hags and their wretched coglings!”

  “Let’s get walking.” Ike lowered his gaze. “We can’t do anything for Charles now.”

  “Aren’t you upset? No, he can’t be dead. He’s been trying to help us. He’s an innocent.”

  Ike grabbed the bag and lifted the flap to pull out his stolen compass. “Do you want to stand here crying or do you want to keep going?”

  “He’s your cousin. You can’t be so heartless that you don’t care.”

  “You learn to deal with your emotions when you live on the street. I’ll mourn him later. Right now, we have to go. I want us to find shelter before night.”

  The world spun. Edna squeezed her eyes shut to make the colors stop moving and the evil keep away. Right, focus on Harrison. Devise a plan. She kissed her prayer beads to soothe her thoughts. “What do you think is out here?”

  “Nothing really.” The strain in Ike’s voice made Edna shudder. “I just wanna be safe.”

  She drew a deep breath of damp air and opened her eyes. Ike was already too far away from her for comfort. Clenching her fists, Edna trailed after him. The damp odor of moss stuck in her nostrils, so she breathed through her mouth.

  He picked his way over uplifted roots and soggy spots, stepping on rocks. After falling twice into bog water, the dragon rode in Ike’s arms, hissing at clumps of mist, while Edna carried the bag. Her imagination conjured a picture of Charles bleeding beneath his airship.

  “What’s going to happen to Polly and their children? Charles is gone, and so is their blimp business.” Tears pricked her eyes.

  “We’ll help them after this is over,” Ike said.

  “I can send them some of my pay every week. They deserve that, for helping with Harrison.”

  Ike lived on the streets, so he knew how to survive. She hated being so dependent on someone else, but she needed him. Harrison needed him.

  Light grew dimmer through the canopy of trees. Edna’s thighs ached. The boots Polly had given her rubbed against her ankles and the woolen socks provided little protection. How long before her body gave out?

  The temperature dropped, her breath puffing in front of her lips. Edna wrapped her cape around her shoulders to keep it clear of the muck and provide more cover to the collar of her dress. Ike stepped toward a tree with a large trunk and set Silver down.

  “We’ll rest.” He glanced at the naked branches overhead. “We’ve got cover and there’s some water there.”

  Edna followed his gaze to a pool of murky liquid. “We’re going to drink that?” She hid a gag behind her hand.

  “I have a filter.” Ike took the bag from her and pulled out a metal box with a tin cup fastened to the middle. Kneeling beside the water, he opened the top of the box and removed a second cup. Ike used it to pour water into the box. He shut the lid and flipped a switch. The box hummed.

  “We should keep going. Harrison’s waiting.” Edna leaned against the tree, too tired and heartsick to care about the moss coating the trunk. She sank to her bottom, resting on a rock. Dampness soaked through her dress. “Any food in that bag?” Since the dragon stared at her, she stared back, neither of them blinking. Silver butted her with his head. The evil never rose to defend her.

  “Some jerky.” Ike set the water purifier on a rock near Edna and handed her the cup. “This is clean.”

  She took a sip. “Metallic, but delicious.” Edna hadn’t realized how parched her mouth felt until water brushed it. She could have gulped down a lake.

  “Silver likes you.” Ike accepted the cup from her and carried the purifier back to the pool.

  “Sure.” She rubbed the corners of her tired eyes. “What’s it matter if the dragon likes me?” Edna pictured herself back in the Waxman library. The ground might be harder than the window seat, but she could pretend she was surrounded by glass, sunshine warming her cheeks.

  Ike shook her shoulder. “Edna?”

  She jerked. Darkness seeped across the swamp, dispelled by the glowing tube Ike held. He shook it. Something inside the metal clicked and the instrument glowed brighter.

  “Your turn,” he said.

  “What?”

  Silver curled in her lap, his head on her shoulder. “When did he get here?”

  “You fell asleep. I took the first watch, but now I gotta sleep too.” Ike pressed the light tube into her hand. “If this fades, shake it. I’ll take Silver.” Ike removed the dragon from her arms and settled next to her against the trunk, closing his eyes. His body tipped sideways, his weight against her, comforting.

  She might not know anything about keeping watch, but Ike had to be as exhausted as she was. “Right, we both need our strength.” Edna moved Ike’s head off her shoulder, careful not to disturb him.

  Too tired to stand, she crawled to the pool of water. Her blue dress clung to her body, sticky with moisture and sweat, and she shivered as cold air bit through the fabric.

  Despite holding the light over the pool, the water remained brown as it reflected the tube. Edna dipped her hand into the liquid, cringing at the coldness. She’d hoped it would make her feel cleaner, but it left a sticky coating on her skin.

  An arrow pinged the ground beside her knee. Edna choked on a scream, falling backwards. The light tumbled from her hand, hit a rock, and rolled toward the pool; she snatched it before it fell in.

  “Ike, wake up!” She waved the tube.

  Something flashed across the pool. A light glowed, revealing a creature the size of a bobcat. It crouched across from her. Two curving horns protruded from the forehead, limbs long and gnarled like branches. Its snout appeared more animalistic than human. A quiver rested against the creature’s back, and it held a bow in its left hand. The other hand cupped a glowing orb.

  The creature set the orb down, illuminating its attire. The sleeveless shirt was green, as was the loincloth. The material seemed to be sewn from leaves. Matching bands crossed its thighs and biceps.

  Removing an arrow from the quiver and setting it to the bow, the creature’s lipless mouth curved into a smile as it aimed for Edna. Her heart stilled within her chest.

  “Ike.” The cry exploded from her lungs.

  The paths that we will follow.

  dna whirled as the evil burst along her limbs. Mud sprayed from beneath her boots and droplets soared into the air, splattering the pool. Ripples shot across the surface, obscuring the murkiness. She reached toward Ike. Mist whirled past, kissing her cheeks. A word from the evil brushed across her conscience.

  Run.

  Behind her, a second arrow pinged free from the bow. Fire exploded between her shoulder blades. The arrow sank in clean, smooth. Fast.

  Her feet stumbled. She fell, closing her eyes. I tried, Harrison. I’m s
orry. Her parents would never forgive her. She tried to clasp her prayer beads, but her limbs wouldn’t move. Darkness crept closer from the corners of her vision to overwhelm her senses. No, she couldn’t surrender to the pain, the shock…

  As if from another time, she watched the dragon sidle closer. Silver brushed his head against her cheek and keened before the darkness claimed her.

  “Edna!”

  She gasped and opened her eyes.

  Ike held her shoulders as he forced her to kneel. Dark circles hung beneath his too-bright eyes.

  “I’m shot,” she sputtered.

  “You tripped. I saw it when I woke.” Ike glanced at the pool. She followed his gaze. The creature knelt on the rocks, facing them. An arrow rested on his bow.

  “He shot me.” Edna ran her hands over her back, but couldn’t find a protruding arrow. “Impossible. I felt it pierce me.”

  “He’s a Nix,” Ike muttered.

  “A what?” There had to be an arrow somewhere on her body. “We have to run. It shot me!”

  “You wouldn’t have heard of them. They stay in the swamp to avoid humans. They were always native here, so they have no reason to leave.” He stood, keeping Edna clasped to him. She tried to push him behind her to protect him, but he held her at his side. Silver leaned against her legs, his long neck wound around her shin. “He didn’t shoot you. It must’ve been a trick of the swamp gases.”

  The creature lowered his bow. In a voice that croaked like a frog’s, he called, “What do you want here?”

  “We seek the hags,” Ike said.

  Edna grimaced. “It can’t be safe to tell everyone our plan.”

  The Nix stepped around the edge of the pool, hooves touching only rocks. They made soft slapping sounds as he moved, protruding from his horse-like legs. “Hags do not like to be disturbed.”

  Ike nudged Edna behind him. “Her brother was kidnapped.”

  The Nix gazed at Edna where she peeked around Ike’s shoulder. “What does it matter?”